Pilot Debrief

PIPER PA-44-180 near Magnolia, TX — 2021-09-12

Final reportCEN21LA418
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Date
2021-09-12
Location
Magnolia, TX, USA
Aircraft
PIPER PA-44-180
Registration
N740FT
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Climb

Probable cause

A total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, which resulted from the pilot’s inadequate preflight planning.

NTSB narrative

The pilot was completing a personal flight in a rented multiengine airplane and reported that during the preflight inspection, the fuel gauges indicated 17 gallons of fuel in each fuel tank. He then visually inspected each tank and confirmed fuel was present. After takeoff, he climbed to 2,000 ft mean sea level and proceeded to a nearby airport where he completed one full stop landing before he departed and proceeded back to the original airport. About 10 minutes into the return flight, the left engine experienced a loss of power, followed by the right engine 5 minutes later. The pilot attempted to execute an emergency landing to a road but struck a tree during the descent and crashed onto a residential driveway. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings, the empennage, and the fuselage. The fuel tanks were not breached during the accident sequence and there was no fuel on the ground near the airplane. A postaccident examination revealed that there was no fuel in either fuel tank, about 4 to 6 oz of fuel was drained from the left carburetor, and there was no fuel in the right carburetor. There were no preimpact mechanical malfunction or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The dispatch sheets and discrepancy logs from the five previous flights did not reveal any anomalies with the fuel gauges, fuel system, or fuel consumption. Based on a postaccident fuel calculation, the airplane likely departed with a total of about 14 gallons of fuel and did not have enough fuel to complete the flight.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Fuel management
First missed decision gate
Pilot did not refuel the airplane before takeoff.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Video
  • ADS-B / radar
  • Photos
  • 13 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents13

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